Gross National Happiness
Also called: GNH · Topic: Human Development: Concept, Approaches and Measurement · NCERT: Class 7, Ch 2 "India and Her Neighbours"; Class 12, Ch 3 "Human Development"
Meaning
Gross National Happiness (GNH) is Bhutan's way of judging progress. Bhutan's fourth king, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, put it forward in the 1970s and said, "GNH is more important than GNP." The idea is that a country should aim for people's happiness and well-being, not just for growth in GNP (the total value of goods and services a country's people produce). GNH rests on four pillars: well-being, cultural preservation, good governance and environmental conservation. Bhutan measures it with a GNH Index of nine domains, and it is written into Bhutan's 2008 Constitution.
Example
Bhutan, a small Himalayan country between India and China, uses GNH to guide its policies. It weighs new projects against their effect on culture, forests and people's well-being, not only against their effect on income.
Don't confuse with
- World Happiness Report: this report ranks many countries using Gallup surveys in which people rate their own lives. GNH is one country's official goal and measure.